My uncle Michael was one of life's true old fashioned gentleman, loved and respected by everyone who knew him and adored by my auntie Flo and his three daughters, my brother is named after him and I named my son after him too, not because of a family tradition but because I wanted him to grow up and into the same kind of man, uncle Michael was wary to hold his namesake when he was born as he was small and premature, I have no idea why though as he had hands the size of shovels and you knew you were safe in those hands,he was like a real life superhero when we were young, there was nothing he couldn't sort out, strong yet gentle, he was always part of my life when I was growing up and even though he is no longer with us in person he is always in my thoughts, he looked after my mum whilst alive and I know he is still looking after her now, mum was the wee sister who had many difficult times but her big brother was always there to love and support her, I still laugh when I think of years ago and my mum phoning him asking him to pretend to be santa claus because one his great nieces/nephews was misbehaving and when they came off the phone they said santa sounded like a priest, not quite but he was a franciscan monk so close enough, loved and remembered always, until we meet again uncle Michael, x